What Profiteth A Man
by Pharoah'sCat
Summary: Fan Fiction opens so many doors; one of my favorites is the 'What Happened Next' door. As in what happened after the last scene in an episode? In the last scene of A Good Sound Profit, the Cannon/Montoya clan and Lt. Sanchez are headed into the ranch house. Then what might have happened? As ever, not my characters/no copyright infringement intended.


_Author's note - I apologize for what I am sure is the very non idiomatic use of Spanish in this...and other ... of my High Chaparral stories. It is what happens when you are dependent on google translate. Thank you to all who take the time to read these stories and thank you to all who comment._

What Profiteth A Man ...

Dinner that evening at the Cannon ranch was joyous...almost raucous. Everyone was so relieved to have found the real reason behind John's behavior; not betrayal, but a champion. Lt. Sanchez had brought along with him several bottles of a very fine Spanish wine and the bottles made multiple rounds of the table. Manolo was especially exuberant that night...almost giddy. He had been crushed to find that he had so badly mis-judged John...but that horrible feeling he had when John had pointed a gun at him had been so thoroughly washed away that his natural high spirits returned to nearly over flowing. Victoria, though she had smiled broadly through out the dinner, and had seemed to enjoy herself with the others, had been just a bit quieter; occasionally sneaking a glance at her husband, who sat laughing at Mano's description of their escape from Ruiz's camp.

After dinner, the party gathered around the fireplace to share some very fine Spanish sherry – also brought by Lt. Sanchez. As Mano handed a glass to John, he said with a laugh, "You know cuñado...hermano...I don't think you needed to hit me QUITE so hard to prove your point!" John smiled as he took the glass, "Oh, I think I hit you exactly as hard as I needed to!" And Mano could only laugh in agreement.

Eventually, things wound down and Mano insisted, despite the fact that Buck's room was available, that Lt. Sanchez take his room. After bidding the Lieutenant good night, Mano, taking yet another few bottles of wine, went off to the bunkhouse where he regaled the hands with the day's events. (Much of which they had already heard...but were more than happy to share more details...and the wine)

John stood by the mantle, using the poker to shift the dying fire deeper into the fireplace. Victoria was carefully folding her mother's finest lace table cloth...only brought out for the most special occasions, and marveling that it somehow had avoided all wine spills. With the cloth folded over her arms, she looked at her husband and said, simply, "I'm sorry."

She spoke quietly, but John was still startled out of a mini reverie. "What?"

Putting the cloth aside, she crossed the room to stand by him, putting her hand on his arm. "I am sorry that I didn't have more faith in you."

He quickly tried to re-assure her, leading her over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. "On, no...to work it had to be that way. Carlyle himself told me that it wasn't until he heard that you and I were...having difficulties...that he came to fully trust me. And if he hadn't trusted me, we never could have exposed who was supplying the money."

She nodded, but didn't smile. "Still, it must have been very painful for you to have everyone...even me...turn against you."

He took a deep breath. "Yes," he acknowledged, "that was painful….very painful. But," he continued, "I was also so PROUD of you."

"Proud?"

"Yes...of you and Mano and Buck in his way; even the bunkhouse boys in their way. Proud of how deeply and dearly held your convictions were….are. And that you were willing to stand up to anyone...even me...to hold fast."

He took her hands in his, and asked, almost shyly, "If it had been different, if I really HAD been working against Juarez, would you really have stayed?"

This time she did smile...putting a had to his cheek. "Yes. I told you. I am your wife for always."

He took the hand from his cheek and kissed its palm. "Thank God for that." He hesitated before going on. "But how would you have dealt with...well….how would you have lived with someone who betrayed so much?"

Victoria considered this for a moment. "I think I would have told myself to keep looking...keep searching for the man who had a dream...the man I fell in love with that first day at my father's. The man who always tries to do right by everyone...who believes in law and justice. I would know that man was still inside somewhere, and I would keep looking for him until I found him again."

John's sigh of relief was nearly audible.

Victoria rose and pulled him gently from the sofa. "Let's go to bed. It has been a very long day...for us all."

John agreed as he stood up, "But a good day."

"Yes," she said, slipping an arm around his waist. "A good day."


End file.
